Back in the 90's, Nokia was the king of the hill for mobile phones. Fast-forward a decade later and Nokia has slowly slid down while Android and Apple vie for the top spot.

There's no escaping the fight as fanboys on both sides attack and mock each other. Gone were the days when a mobile phone was just something you carried around so that people could contact you. Now you're judged by the mobile OS that your phone sports.

Apple fanboys are viewed as a mindless cult who rave about the iPhone despite the fact that most of the control is in the hands of Apple, and the fanboys get a phone that is pretty much dumbed down so as to appeal to the masses.

Android fanboys are geeks who don't care about what the phone looks like or even if the UI is clunky and uninspired.

Each mobile OS has its own supporters so I quizzed two of my colleagues on what they found attractive in the respective operating systems that they were using.

My green-loving colleague supports Android because it offers him more control over his phone. Rooting it is not frowned upon or he could just install apps which allowed him more control over the functions of his phone. Feeling bored of seeing the same interface daily? Install a new launcher which changes the whole look of your interface. Feeling your phone's age? Root it and try to squeeze out more features or increase the performance.

Apple on the other hand, maintains strict control over its hardware and software. In doing so, it has avoided the fragmentation issue that has plagued Android, where Android phones are all running different versions of the software. Control does not mean lack of choices, but rather "providing the user with choices that matter as they eliminate unnecessary choices", says my fruit-loving colleague.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to what are your considerations. Identify your needs and also how much you are willing to spend. Do you want to use a phone that works with minimal fuss but may be pricier? Or one that offers you more control which may turn out to be somewhat complicated for those less tech savvy?

While the war between Android and Apple rages on, let's not forget that a phone is just a phone. Anything that actually helps you is superior regardless of which OS it's running, and remember it sure doesn't define who you are, fanboy or not.

Hafeez Sim /
Former Tech Writer

A gadget-geek, he also spends too much time in the gym. He does however, manage to sneak in reading books on his Kindle and reading comics on his Nexus 7. Also spends an obscene amount of time on Team Fortress 2.